Question

How is the refractive index of a medium related to the speed of light Obtain an expression for refractive index of a medium with respect to another in terms of speed of light in these two media?​

Answer 1

The refractive index of mediumn

m

is given by

n

m

=

speed of light in medium

speed of light in air

=

v

c

Let v

1

and v

2

is the speed of light in medium 1 and medium 2 respectively.

The refractive index of medium 2 with respect to medium 1 is given by the ratio of speed of light in medium 1 and in medium 2 can be represented as:

n

21

=

v

2

v

1